A Jewish director was agonizing...
Illustration
A Jewish director was agonizing through what must have been his fiftieth film for This Is the Life, the Lutheran television production. He felt the cast wasn't doing justice to the Gospel message. His brow furrowed deeply as he tugged in frustration at his youthful black beard. "Look!" he finally cried out, bringing the rehearsal to an embarrassing halt. "Here I am a Jew. But you and you and you!" His finger jabbed the air in the direction of the three actors rehearsing the scene. "You are Catholic! And you are an Episcopalian! And you are a Presbyterian! Don't you feel the words you're speaking? Don't you understand that you have an earth-shattering message to tell?"
Calming himself, he thrust his hands into his pockets, and continued quietly, "I was raised a Jew. I am a good Jew. But after doing This is the Life for eight years, I consider myself a pretty fair Christian theologian. I know that the atonement is the heart of the Gospel message, and the thing that is so disturbing to me is that I know it works. I mean, it's psychologically correct. People consume themselves with guilt, and the Gospel says that God's Son has died to take away the guilt. It's a message that answers a need that works psychologically. Don't misunderstand, for me the Messiah hasn't come yet. But sometimes I feel the hair on the back of my head stand up when I ask myself, 'What if he has come? What if it is true?' "
Jesus showed his disciples from the scriptures that he is indeed the Messiah as had been foretold. He then commissioned them to zealously bear witness to the world that Jesus suffered, died and rose again that forgiveness of sins might be offered in his name to everyone.
Calming himself, he thrust his hands into his pockets, and continued quietly, "I was raised a Jew. I am a good Jew. But after doing This is the Life for eight years, I consider myself a pretty fair Christian theologian. I know that the atonement is the heart of the Gospel message, and the thing that is so disturbing to me is that I know it works. I mean, it's psychologically correct. People consume themselves with guilt, and the Gospel says that God's Son has died to take away the guilt. It's a message that answers a need that works psychologically. Don't misunderstand, for me the Messiah hasn't come yet. But sometimes I feel the hair on the back of my head stand up when I ask myself, 'What if he has come? What if it is true?' "
Jesus showed his disciples from the scriptures that he is indeed the Messiah as had been foretold. He then commissioned them to zealously bear witness to the world that Jesus suffered, died and rose again that forgiveness of sins might be offered in his name to everyone.
